Elevating mechanism of heavy guns.



A. T. DAWSON 6.1. HO-RNE.

ELEVATING MECHANISM OF HEAVY GUNS.

APPLICATION man MAY15. 1915.

1,29,693. Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

TSHEETS-SHEET l.

A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE.

ELEVATING MECHANISM OF HEAVY GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED MYl5. 1915.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OF

BARROW-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMIN- STER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELEVATING MECHANISM OF HEAVY GUNS.

Application filed May 15, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and JAMEs HORNE, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, resid ing, respectively, at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, and Naval Construction Works, Barrow-in-Furness, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to the Elevating Mechanism of Heavy Guns, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to elevating mecha nism of the kind in which means are employed for preventing the gun from being depressed into a position such that if fired it would cause damage to any part of the shi within the training are of the turret, an in certain circumstances, for automatically elevating the gun from the danger Z0118;

According to this invention the said means (which may be termed a safety depression gear) are combined with hunting control gear operating to bring the gun to rest in a position of elevation or depression which as is usual with hunting control gear is dependent upon the amount of movement imparted to the elevating hand wheel.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, we will describe the same more fully with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing, in a more or less diagrammatic manner, a con structional form of our invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan of Fi 2, and

Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 1, 1 of Fig. 2.

A is the elevating motor which is shown as being in the form of a press whose ram or piston rod is connected through a link a to the trunnion arm A of the gun. B is the control valve of the press A and C is the elevating hand wheel for operating the said valve. y

In the example shown the safety depression gear com rises the usual stationary ver- 'tlcal cam rai D which operates through a roller bar 1) upon a floating lever D Specification of Letters Patent.

-with a lever B i the aforesaid link 03, thereby Patented Dec. 31, 1918. Serial No. 28.494.

pivotally carried by a plunger block D and connected by a link d to a pivoted arm 1) arranged in thepathwhen gun is being depressed-of a tappet a on the trunn1on arm A or on any other suitable part moving with the gun the said plunger block operating upon the control valve B of the elevating press A. I

The hunting control gear comprises a rack A connected to a part of the slide frame or to any other suitable part that moves in elevation and depression with the gun. With this rack a worm wheel a engages, this worm wheel being mounted on a part that does not move with the gun in elevation and depression. The said worm wheel meshes with a worm A slidably connected to a shaft C actuated by the elevating hand wheel C. The said worm is mounted in a casing A which has an extension piece a. carrying a compression spring A which normally holds a sliding collar A against a shoulder a on the extension piece. This collar engages connected to the control valve B and also with a bell crank lever d bearing against one end of the aforesaid plunger block D.

When the elevating hand wheel C is rotated to depress the gun, the aforesaid worm A is rotated and travels (for example) upward relatively to the worm wheel a which is held stationary by its engagement with the rack A The extension piece a is consequently moved upward and the sliding collar A follows under the influence of its spring A. The control valve B is thereby moved to the depress position and the gun 'is depressed; the movement of the gun disinto a dangerous position the aforesaid cam rail D raises the roller bar D and causes the floating lever D to be rocked about the point of connection of its upper arm with displacing the plunger block D and its bell crank lever 03 to move the sliding collar A and the control valve to place the latter in the elevate position, this movement'of the collartakmg place against the resistance of its spring A. As the gun is elevated the extension piece a is caused to move upward by means of the aforesaid rack A thereby shifting the control valve to the cut off position when the gun has been elevated sufliciently, the aforesaid spring A being still further compressed. \Vhen the roller bar D comes opposite a during the training of theturret, the spring A causes the control valve to move to the depress position to which it was originally placed by the elevating hand wheel. Similarly in the event of. the elevating hand Wheel being moved to depress the gun beyond its fixed limit or the safe limit determined by a raised portion of the cam rail, the control valve will be moved by the tappet a to its cut oil position and .the gun brought to rest, the aforesaid floating lever D in this case moving about the end ofits. lower arm which is in contact with one' ;'e'nd-" of a sliding rod-(Z the other end of'f ivh'i cl 1' bears against. a bell crank lever d connectedto the roller barD.

Although the invention has been described in connection with an elevating press, it will be obvious that any other suitable form of elevating motor might be used and in this event its control device would be operated in substantially the manner above described with regard to the control valve B.

Similarly the invention may be employed inconjunction with one or other of two or more different elevating motors which provide independent and optional elevating means for the gun. For example, in addition to the elevating press A a variable speed hydraulic transmission gear may be provided and means are then employed whereby the lever B can at will be connected either to the control valve B or to the tilting box (or other control device) of the pump unit forming part of the variable speed hydraulic transmission gear. For this purpose an arm I) interposed between the valve-B and the lever B is detachably connected to a quadrant b forming part of the lever B: an arm b interposed between the tilting box of the pump unit (not shown) and the said lever B is similarly connected to the quadrant b'. By these means either the control valve or the tilting box can be connected to the lever 13 according as the press A or the variable speed hydraulic transmission gear is to be used for elevating the gun.

Although we have described one particular form of safety depression gear as being used in combination with the hunting control gear, it is to be understood that other forms of the first mentioned gear may. if desired, be employed.

depressed portion of the cam rail D operated by said handle and by the motor for automatically bringing said motor to rest with the gun at a position predetermined by the extent of movement given to said actuating handle.

2.'In the elevating mechanism of ordnance, the combination with the elevating motor. the control device thereof and the actuating handle of said control device, of safety depression gear operating upon said control device to stop said motor and hunting gear operated by said handle and by the motor and also operating upon said control 'devicefor automatically bringing said mo-' tor to rest at a position predetermined by the extent of movement given to said actuating handle.

5 3. In the elevating mechanism of ordnance, the combination with the pressure 'ffiuid elevating motor, the control valve thereof and the actuating handle'of said valve, of safety depression gear operating upon said control valve to stop said motor and hunting gear operated by said handle and by the motor and also operating upon said valve for automatically bringing said motor to rest at a position predetermined by the extent of movement given to said actuating handle.

4:. In the elevating mechanism of ordnance, the combination with the pressure fluid elevating motor, the control valve thereof and the actuating handle of said valve, of a member connected to said valve, means for operating said member from the actuating handle, means for actuating said member by the normal movements of the gun in elevation and depression without displacing said actuating handle for bringing the motor to rest with the gun at a position predetermined by the extent of movement given to saidhandle, and safety depression gear for actuating said member to stop the motor without displacing said actuating handle.

In the elevating mechanism of ordnance, the combination with the pressure fluid elevating motor, the control valve thereof and the actuating handle of said valve, of a shaft driven by said actuating handle, a worm slidably connected to said shaft, a Worm wheel gearing with said Worm, means for imparting movement to said worm wheel during elevation and demeans for connecting said sliding member to the control valve and safety depression gear operating upon said sliding member to move the control valve to its out ofi position.

6. In the elevating mechanism of 0rd nance, the combination with the pressure fluid elevating motor, the control valve thereof and the actuating handle of said valve, of a shaft driven by said handle, a worm slidably connected to said shaft, a

worm wheel gearing with said worm, means for imparting movement to said worm wheel during elevation and depression of the gun, a'sliding member in whichsaid worm is rotatably mounted, a spring for controlling said sliding member, means for connecting said sliding member to the control valve, a cam member having a contour adapted to the deck fittings or other obstructions Within the training are of the gun and means interposed between said cam member and said sliding member for automatically moving the control valve to its cut oil position when the gun is approaching a dangerous an le of depression.

In the elevating mechanism of ordnance, the combination with the pressure fluid elevating motor, the control valve thereof and the actuating handle of said valve, of a shaft driven by said handle, a worm slidably connected to said shaft, a worm wheel gearing with said Worm, means for imparting movement to said worm wheel (luring elevation and depression of the gun, a sliding member in which said Worm is rotatably mounted, a spring for controlling said sliding member, means for connecting .said sliding member to the control valve,

tures.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON.

JAMES HORNE. 

